[09/27/12 - 02:00 AM]Discovery Commissions New Adventure Series "Endurance in the Wake of Shackleton"The three-part series follows a team of modern day explorers as they attempt to follow in the path of Shackleton's epic crossing of the treacherous Southern Ocean.

[via press release from Discovery]

Discovery Commissions New Adventure Series "Endurance in the Wake of Shackleton"

London, 27 September 2012 - Discovery Networks Western Europe today announced the commission of a new 3x60 adventure series on Discovery Channel in Q3 2013. Almost 100 years on, Endurance In The Wake Of Shackleton follows a team of modern day explorers as they attempt to follow in the path of Shackleton's epic journey - the 1500km (800 nautical miles) crossing of the treacherous Southern Ocean, followed by the South Georgia mountain-traverse; a journey which offered the only possible chance of rescue following the sinking of Ernest Shackleton's expedition ship, The Endurance.

Produced by Raw TV, polar explorer Tim Jarvis will lead a specially selected six-man team on this challenging expedition pushing every man's boundaries to the limits. Today's expedition boat is a replica of the 22.5 ft/6.9m James Caird which made the original crossing and the expedition will be made using traditional equipment, navigational tools and clothing giving unprecedented insight into the courage and leadership of Shackleton and his crew.

Using handheld and fixed camera rig, state of the art cameras will be built into the boat. BAFTA nominated, expedition camera/director Ed Wardle will be embedded as one of the six man crew to capture the reality of their unique experience.

Dan Korn, SVP, Head of Programming, Discovery Networks Western Europe, added: "Can today's men summon the heroism, bravery and incredible luck needed to succeed and survive such an endurance test? Discovery's 2013 expedition will wage their strength, skill and toughness against the most powerful forces of nature to discover the secrets behind Shackleton's survival and to see how they measure up against the heroes of a hundred years ago."

Elizabeth McIntyre, VP Production and Development, Factual, Discovery Networks International, who commissioned the series, commented: "We are delighted to build on Discovery's unrivalled reputation as the home of survival and adventure with this hugely exciting new commission. Shackleton's incredible journey was described as an act of 'unparalleled bravery and physical endurance' and has never been successfully completed again - until now."

Endurance In The Wake Of Shackleton is executive produced by Elizabeth McIntyre and Helen Hawken for Discovery Networks Western Europe and Sam Maynard for Raw TV.

About The Shackleton Epic expedition

The Shackleton Epic expedition will be undertaken in January/February 2013 and Jarvis, 46 years, and his crew of British and Australian adventurers have the full support of Sir Ernest Shackleton's family to mount this official centenary expedition.

More information about the Shackleton Epic expedition can be found at: www.shackletonepic.com

About Discovery Networks Western Europe

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. In Western Europe, 18 Discovery brands reach 331 million cumulative subscribers with programming customized in 13 languages.